Author

About

Kris Atkins has always been primarily fascinated by three things: people, magic, and language. She combined these loves into one passion: writing emotionally intelligent fantasy that explores its characters as much as its magic systems.

Kris was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder in 2009. Since then, she has become an advocate for mental health awareness. She folds mental health issues into all of her stories, showcasing people with mental illness living ordinary and extraordinary lives.

Kris earned her BA in Linguistics in 2008 from Brigham Young University. Four years later, she received her MFA in Creative Writing from Converse College. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two rambunctious boys, and an old, grumpy dog. She has mermaid hair even though her Patronus is the pegasus.

What is your biggest pet peeve? When people park crooked enough to ruin the spot next to them.

Do you slurp your drink after it’s gone? Guilty.

Have you ever blown bubbles in your milk? Also Guilty.

Would you rather eat a Big Mac or a Whopper? Big Mac.

Have you ever gone skinny-dipping? Yes.

Would you ever parachute out of a plane? I used to say heck yes, but now that I have young children and I know people who have had skydiving accidents, it’s a firm no. For now, at least.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve done? Climbed to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. I’m afraid of heights and it was quite the climb up the side of the rock. I felt like a total badass at the top, though.

When you are at the grocery store, do you ask for paper or plastic? Plastic for disposing of poopy diapers. One day, I won’t have poopy diapers in my house, and I’ll get paper.

True or False: You would rather eat steak than pizza. Ummmm…. probably true. If they’re both equally awesome, than yes, steak. But if it’s a so-so steak and a better-than-average pizza, than pizza.

Did you have a baby blanket? Yes.

Have you ever tried to cut your own hair? Yes, in middle school, and with disastrous results.

How did that turn out? Disastrous, remember?

Have you ever sleepwalked? Not that anyone has told me.

Have you ever had a birthday party at McDonalds? Nope, but I did have one at Burger King because I’m classy.

Can you flip your eye-lids up? Ew, no.

Are you double jointed? Nope.

If you could be any age, what age would you be? Physically? 26. Mentally? My current age. I’m doing all right, imo.

Have you ever gotten gum stuck in your hair? Who hasn’t?

Do you ride roller coasters? Hell yes I do.

What’s your favorite carnival ride? The Zipper.

What is your dream car? Aston Martin Vanquish.

What is your favorite cartoon of all time? Ooooo, this is hard. Either Batman: the Animated Series or X-Men: the Animated Series.

Have you ever eaten a dog biscuit? Nope.

If so, would you eat another one?

If you were in a car sinking in a lake, what would you do first? Assuming I’m alone in this scenario, I’d roll down the window.

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Yes, but I wasn’t the patient.

Can you pick something up with your toes? Is this a request?

How many remote controls do you have in your house? Like 6, I think. And that’s only for 2 TVs.

Have you ever fallen asleep in school? Oh yeah. AP Calculus at 7 am? Just about every day.

How many times have you flown in an airplane in the last year? Only twice.

How many foreign countries have you visited? Nine. (Canada, Mexico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Belize, Italy, Switzerland, and France)

If you were out of shape, would you compete in a triathlon if you were somehow guaranteed to win a big, gaudy medal? The real question is: why wouldn’t I?

Would you rather be rich and unhappy, or poor and happy? Poor and happy.

If you fell into quicksand, would you try to swim or try to float? Try to float. Quicksand sucks you in the more you struggle, right?

Do you ask for directions when you are lost? I ask Google Maps.

Have you ever held a Mexican jumping bean? Yes, actually. I had to think about that one.

Are you more like Cinderella or Alice in Wonderland? Alice in Wonderland.

Would you rather have an ant farm with no ants or a box of crayons with broken points? Box of crayons because you still have crayons. An ant farm with no ants is just a sandbox.

Do you prefer light or dark bread? Wheat.

Do you prefer scrambled or fried eggs? Scrambled is the only way I eat eggs. Well, I’ll eat a fried egg over-easy on a breakfast sandwich.

Have you ever been in a car that ran out of gas? A few times…

Do you talk in your sleep? Yep.

Would you rather shovel snow or mow the lawn? Shovel snow. I’ve actually never mown the lawn in my life.

Have you ever played in the rain? Yep.

Did you make mud pies? Yep.

Have you ever broken a bone? Nope.

Would you climb a very high tree to save a kitten? Probably.

Can you tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator? Yes. Alligators have fat snouts and crocodiles’ snouts keep their girlish figures.

Do you drink pepsi or coke? Pfshaw. Neither. Diet Dr. Pepper for this girl.

What’s your favorite number? Three.

If you were a car, would you be an SUV or a sports car? SUV.

Have you ever accidentally taken something from a hotel? No, but I did accidentally steal a bunch of spoons from a school cafeteria. I returned them via mail a few weeks after I moved away.

Have you ever slipped in the bathtub? Yes. Sucked.

Do you use regular or deodorant soap? Deodorant soap is a thing?

Have you ever locked yourself out of the house? Yep.

Would you rather make your living as a singing cowboy or as one of the Simpsons voices? One of the Simpsons. I’d make bank, man.

If you could invite any movie star to your home for dinner, who would it be? Samuel L. Jackson.

Do you need corrective lenses? *adjusts glasses* What do you think?

Would you hang out with / date someone your best friend didn’t like? Yeah. She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through.

Would you hang out with someone your best friend liked, but you didn’t like? Yeah, because I’m a nice freaking person.

Have you ever returned a gift? Oh yeah.

Would you give someone else a gift that had been given to you? Would I? I’ve done it.

If you could attend an Olympic Event, what would it be? Diving.

If you could participate in an Olympic Event, what would it be? Diving, as long as I had extensive training first. And had gotten over my fear of heights.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? 35ish.

If your grandmother gave you a gift that you already have, would you tell her? Nope.

Do you sing in the car? Oh hells yes.

What is your favorite breed of dog? Shiba inu.

Would you donate money to feed starving animals in the winter? Just in the winter? Is that a seasonal thing?

What is your favorite fruit? Peach.

What is your least favorite fruit? Canteloupe. And by least favorite, I mean we hates it.

What kind of fruit have you never had? Purple mangosteen.

If you won a $5,000 shopping spree to any store, which store would you pick? A home goods store.

What brand sports apparel do you wear the most? Hell if I know.

Are/were you a good student? i shur wuz. im smart.

Among your friends, who could you arm wrestle and beat? Probably all of them. I work out.

If you had to choose, what branch of the military would you be in? Marines.

What do you think is your best feature? Like, physically? My hair.

If you were to win a Grammy, what kind of music would it be for? Indie electronic rock.

If you were to win an Oscar, what kind of movie would it be for? Writing the screenplay for the adaptation of my fantasy novel.

What is your favorite season? Spring.

How many members do you have in your immediate family? Four (me, my husband, and two sons). I grew up in a family of seven.

Which of the five senses is most important to you? Hearing.

Would you be a more successful painter or singer? Singer, but that’s only because I’m a terrible artist.

How many years will/did you end up going to college? Four and a half.

Have you ever had surgery? Twice.

Would you rather be a professional figure skater or professional football player? Figure skater all the way.

What do you like to collect? Broken hearts.

How many collectibles do you have? Quite a few.

What one question would you add to this survey? What’s your favorite band? The Naked and Famous. Second favorite? CHVRCHES. (Go listen to them.)